“Greg Abbott said that keeping the state’s economic engines chugging, making Texas No. 1 in education and securing the Lone Star State’s borders would his first priorities if elected governor.”
Abbott Says Education, Border Security Top Priorities
By Jim McBride
Amarillo Globe-News
October 1, 2014
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said that keeping the state’s economic engines chugging, making Texas No. 1 in education and securing the Lone Star State’s borders would his first priorities if elected governor.
During a Wednesday visit to Amarillo, Abbott said Texas leads the nation in job creation and that he would continue as governor to ensure the state maintains that status. Abbott, a Republican, faces state Sen. Wendy Davis, a Democrat and state senator, in the Nov. 4 gubernatorial race.
“We need to recreate the school system for the next generation, and that means inserting genuine improvements that will improve the literacy and numeracy skills of our students beginning at the pre-K level all the way up to the senior year in high school,” he said. “What I will push for as governor is to provide more funding for schools, but we need to understand just throwing more money at it isn’t going to solve the problem.”
If elected governor, Abbott said he would add 500 permanent Department of Public Safety troopers and increase funding for border security. According to Abbott’s policy plan, he recommends increasing DPS appropriations for border security by more than $286 million for the next biennium, buying an additional high-altitude aircraft to monitor the borders and adding 20 Texas Rangers to the state’s Public Corruption Unit, among other proposed border security measures.
“I have a solid border security plan that secures not only the border but secures people all the way up to the Panhandle,” he said. “The people of Texas will know with me as governor I will do what the federal government refuses to do: I will secure our border.”
The attorney general said he also would work to improve the state’s road network by building more roads without raising taxes, fees or tolls. Voters, too, will have a say on transportation improvements. Proposition 1 on the November ballot would if passed, would take a portion of revenue from oil and gas severance taxes and place it into the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund — commonly known as the Rainy Day fund — to bolster transportation projects.
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